The art of Kim Ward & others she knows

It’s been a long time since I posted anything on this blog. I start and stop in fits, because, let’s face it, writing a blog regularly and expecting someone to read it, and be interested, can often be a very narcissistic undertaking, one that makes me feel a bit like I’m standing on the corner of State & Main with a cardboard sign that says in shaky handwriting, “Will take readers, willing to write anything.”

However, as 2016 opens, and 2015 is put to bed, and the amazing artistic icons of my youth are dropping like flies, (RIP David Bowie and Alan Rickman) I’ve decided to ‘get out on the water,’ so to speak.

In the last year and a half, I’ve left my job of 14 years, broken up with my partner of 17 years, realized my nephew – who we raised from the age of 12 – is now 29 and his younger brother is 23 with 2 kids of his own. My best friend and I just realized the other day we’ve known each other 25 years! 25!? A quarter of a century, and after bumping in to another friend on the street the other day, and realizing, “Yeah, Dan and I have known each other 30 years or more…” What? Am I my mother?! Shit. I’ve got a bath towel that is older (by 2 months) than one friend of mine.

All of this has made me realize that life is swiftly flowing by me, and I feel like it’s time to stop standing on the riverbank. So with that in mind, I’ve begun to finish some long languishing projects & goals including:

“It’s coming. I know it. And so I cleave to the act of creation both to spite and to make sense of the ineluctable destruction.”

This quote struck me perfectly the other day as I was reading Chuck’s blog – one of the few blogs from which I get regular newsletters in my in-box. I subscribe because Wendig knows not only how to drill down, hunker down and “Write harder, Motherfucker!”, but also because he knows how to create community and inspire the people that follow him. He writes his blog so well, in fact, that when I was working at Bear Pond Books the other day I said, “There’s a friend of mine who just wrote a book about the Star Wars franchise. We should carry it, and the rest of his stuff. He’s good,” then I thought, “What? I don’t KNOW Chuck Wendig!” But it seems as if I do. His regular posts make you feel like you do know him, at least in the way you might know a person who works at the same job as you.

And he does. Or he could. All I have to do is start living, start writing, go back to ‘arting’ damn it!

Share this:

Like this:

So our show, “Shared Landscapes” has closed at the Capital Grounds in Montpelier. We had a lot of great feedback from friends who saw it, so a hearty thanks to you all! To view the same show at it’s next location, go to the Coffee Corner on Main Street, Montpelier in March. They’re only open for breakfast and lunch, but they are open until 3:00 pm every day of the week.

Between now and then I’ll be focusing on fulfilling orders for prints. Now that my art is back home, I’ll be taking quality photographs for that purpose. Get your orders in soon! I’ll have the other two photos posted by Wednesday of this week. See the gallery on this page for prints and prices.

In the interim, I’ve been learning to make mandalas. It has been fun and meditative. Here is one I created, “Reindeer Moon Mandala”in honor of winter.

Have you got an interest in learning more about mandalas or in coloring some for a relaxing moment at night? Check out the following links if so

Share this:

Like this:

This Friday, January 3rd at Capital Grounds in Montpelier, Terri Kneen and I will be on hand for a reception for our show “Shared Landscapes.” The show consists of photos by Terri and watercolors by me. There is one piece which I watercolored using a photo of Terri’s as a jumping off point, within which Terri contributed some of her sketched stick figures as well. The art will be up for all of January, after which it will move over to the Coffee Corner for February.

Reception is at the Green Bean Gallery, Capital Grounds, 27 State Street, Montpelier, VT05602
From 6-8pm. Come pick up a cup of coffee and a pastry and enjoy the show!

44.257898-72.573382

Share this:

Like this:

I got inspired last night after posting my newest sketch, so I kept working until the painting was done. OK, so I was up until 1 am and I had to go back to work today, but I’ve been pulling that stunt since high school, and I even managed to make it to work on time today.

The really cool thing that happened was that half way through the water color I finally got it. I stopped, took a breath, loaded up the brush with just a LITTLE paint and a lot of water and went to it. Suddenly the amazing luminescence of the paint was in MY PAINTING! The funny thing was, I started the background as awkwardly as I had all three other times I had painted this before (see my previous, “That Awkward Moment” post). Too dark, too purple-Easter-eggy just not what I wanted, but I like how it turned out, and, well, you know, there is always more paper, more paint…

Either way, here is the finished piece. Note how much clearer this photo is…ah, Honey, I took out your camera and started using it, uh… OK?

Share this:

Like this:

I’d almost given up on this painting earlier this week. Three other failed attempts adorned my wall above my drawing desk. Many older sketches piled high in my portfolio, but when I went to paint them, ARGH! They looked terrible. Then I started one last time. I copied the elements I liked from the last two attempts and went second to the India ink.

Ahhhh… There is something so perfect for me about embellishing a sketch with ink.

That was it. This will be the one. At the same time, I am trying to get the light just right for photographing all of my pieces in preparation to make prints. Grrrr…this is a bitch. I think I’ll need to get theater lights on these bee-otches to get it right, but for now, here’s a sample of the sketch only… (She mumbles as she goes through the house stealing every light in sight and removing the shades.) wish me luck. Hope I don’t blow a fuse here… Anyone got one of those space age rescue blankets I can hold up to reflect the light?